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Out of state license plates make it less worthwhile to local LEO?

I was on I-80 in Iowa in my car with California license plates. I was going 15 over PSL with a slower car on the right lane for comparison making me very obvious for speeding. A hard to see LEO was cruising on the opposite lane and hit me with I/O Ka. I slammed on the brakes and slowed down to 5 below PSL and maintained the speed. He immediately turned around at the nearest emergency median crossover and followed me for 2 miles. He then drove to my side and we were parallel to each other for about 30 secs. I was expecting to get pulled any moment but to my surprise nothing happened. He just stepped on it and drove off. Do out of state license plates make any difference here?

Re: Out of state license plates make it less worthwhile to local LEO?

There can be several reasons why you didn't get stopped or even got a citation. It all depends on each individual LEO. What your LEO did says to me, "I saw what you did...you didn't fool me...let this be a warning". Chances are the IO he was using was an old design that was famous for speed errors. Leos still use these inaccurate radars as a general speeding indicator, then switch to a more accurate mode...Or some other reason. Me? I would take what he did as a warning and add to my driving experience.

As far as out of state vehicles getting a break, I'd say the scales are tipped in the driver's favor since tourism is a big revenue industry in some states so the LEOs may let you off with a "warning" such as you got. Bottom line is the mood the LEO is the most important factor. That can make all the difference.

Re: Out of state license plates make it less worthwhile to local LEO?

Originally Posted by Mr Q

There can be several reasons why you didn't get stopped or even got a citation. It all depends on each individual LEO. What your LEO did says to me, "I saw what you did...you didn't fool me...let this be a warning". Chances are the IO he was using was an old design that was famous for speed errors. Leos still use these inaccurate radars as a general speeding indicator, then switch to a more accurate mode...Or some other reason. Me? I would take what he did as a warning and add to my driving experience.

As far as out of state vehicles getting a break, I'd say the scales are tipped in the driver's favor since tourism is a big revenue industry in some states so the LEOs may let you off with a "warning" such as you got. Bottom line is the mood the LEO is the most important factor. That can make all the difference.

I think it's just the opposite. I have seen LEOs stop out-of-state vehicles while letting faster in-state cars go. I suspect they know most won't come back just to contest the ticket in court. Also, I believe there is a federal law that allows states to turn the matter over to the registering state after a certain amount of time or attempts to enforce passes. Then the home state can pursue it as if it happened in its own jurisdiction. Some time ago I ordered the audiobook and documents from Radar Roy's (?) site detailing a successfully contested by mail out-of-state ticket.